Grey Fire
by Djehutymose
Summary: Theo is the 16 year old demigod son of Athena. He has recently gotten in contact with his best friend, Trenton or Trent for short , a satyr assigned to St. Valentine's School for Troubled Youth. Trent has located a demigod, but needs some help getting him out. Theo agrees to help, but does he know what he's getting himself into?
1. Prologue

Grey Fire

A Percy Jackson Fanficion

A/N- Thought I'd give writing a fanfic a try, and here's my attempt. After much scheming, plotting, and failed first drafts (not all of them PJO related) here is one that actually turned out decent in my opinion. Please don't judge it too harshly. Try and pretend that the Heroes of Olympus series hasn't started yet. This story takes place around the end of The Last Olympian during a relatively peaceful time (but is life ever peaceful for half-bloods?). If you like it PLEASE leave a review or comment, if enough people read and like the idea I'll continue it. Thanks!

Prologue

I've always been different. For as long as I can remember my life has been different than mortal children. You see, the main cause for this, as far as I can tell, is my Greek heritage. By "Greek heritage" I mean the fact that I'm the demigod, son of Athena. Where should I even start? Hi, my name is Theo. I'm a 16 year old from Los Angeles, California and I'm a demigod.

I didn't always know that. My dad neglected to tell me. Since I _am_ a child of Athena, I managed to figure it out to some extent. I guess my friend Trenton, or Trent for short, helped a little. You see, Trenton's a satyr, you know, the goat dudes from Greek mythology? Anyway, one day after a snake-monster attacked me at school he came home with me and yelled at my dad and my step-mom for hiding the truth from me. After some fighting and the big reveal of Trent's satyr-ness, we were off to Camp Half-Blood, the only safe haven for demigods, or half-bloods like me. At camp we learn to hone our skills and learn to use our special gifts; to fight monsters and basically not get killed by monsters and other mythological meanies. After you get there, if you're parent god or goddess has claimed you, you get put in your cabin with your half-brothers and sisters. If you aren't claimed, you end up in the Hermes cabin until you are. Thankfully as soon as I got into the campgrounds the symbol of Athena, a glowing grey owl, appeared over my head to confirm that yours truly was indeed a son of Athena, goddess of wisdom and war (not to be confused with the kind of war her brutish brother Ares is god of). But that's enough of me, on to the real story.

Trent was assigned to St. Valentine's School for Troubled Youth in Brooklyn to look for any possible half-bloods. You see, satyrs are usually put out into the field to look for us and bring us back to camp. Well, Trent found one and needed my help extracting him. I didn't know why at the time but I owed Trent a favor. St. Valentine's is the weirdest place I have ever seen and I've seen some weird places. For starters, it's named after the guy who my least favorite holiday is named for. Secondly, the first thing you see when you walk in is a huge portrait of St. Valentine staring down at you. Let me just say… I hate love. Long story short, I accidently (though you may hear rumors it was on purpose; don't believe them) injured Nicole Smith of the Aphrodite cabin in a game of capture the flag and she got her mom to make my love life hell or something like that. Anyways, back to the school. Everything is heart or love themed in some way or in pink. I just wanted to find this demigod and get out of there, a.s.a.p. I found Trent in the hallway of the first building and he explained briefly what was going on.

"Well, his name is Chris. A few inches shorter than you, messy black hair and dark brown eyes… blah, blah, blah. His scent is strong," said Trent.

"Why do you have to say that, do us half-bloods really smell?"

"You have no idea, um, no offense," Trent said, raising his hands in defense.

"Whatever. So if you know who he is, why not just grab him and get out of here?" I asked.

"It's not that simple! You see, there's this teacher, I 'm pretty sure he's a monster and—"

"Hey, you two! What are you doing out of class?"

I turned around, only to see the ugliest human being ever to walk this Earth standing behind us.

"Oh um, hey Mr. Spolcyc," stammered Trent, "We were just—"

"Getting back to class? I certainly hope so Mr. Trenton," said the gargantuan ape, uh, I mean man.

He turned to me and his face took on a look of momentary confusion, then rage, than back to confusion.

"You, who are you?" he asked.

"Um, my name's Theo, I'm, um… new here. Yeah, new. Trent was just taking me on a tour and we're on our way back to class now," I quickly said. I just wanted to get away from this man. Something was definitely wrong with him. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Well I suggest you hurry up, before I give you both detentions."

"Yeah of course, Mr. Spolcyc won't happen again!" Trent quickly said before grabbing my arm and taking off down the hallway. "Gods Theo, you're lucky he bought that excuse."

"Yeah, well, we'll thank the gods once we find this half-blood. What were you saying about that monster who was causing problems? Where is it?"

"Oh well, um, you just met him. Mr. Spolcyc is the monster."

"Perfect."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Trent led me to a class at the end of the third building. He said he'd just hack the school records to put my name on the roster. For now, I just had to tell all the teachers I was a transfer and hope they believed me. Trent and I would be in the same classes as this Chris guy. Unfortunately, one was chemistry with Mr. Spolcyc. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with chemistry or any class to be honest. I do have a problem with being taught by a monster. You see, monsters have this weird sense where they can sniff out half-bloods. Our scent only gets stronger as we age and it's at its strongest when we know our heritage. What that means is that Chris could maybe pass as a mortal but Mr. Spolcyc was almost certain to know that I was a demigod. Thankfully I had packed my sword and shield with me. They were gifts from my mom, and believe me, she doesn't give gifts often. She prefers when her children solve their problems on their own. I mean, we're more than capable but it's nice to get some divine intervention every now and then. My weapons were disguisable as a pencil and an eraser so it's not like I was walking around with weapons strapped to my back. Who do you think I am, an Ares kid? Anyways, back to the story.

First off, we had History. When we walked into the room, Trent, being the good goat-boy he is, brought me over to the teacher to let her know what was going on…minus the demigod extraction mission.

"Mrs. P, this is my friend, Theo. He's new here."

"I'm guessing you want some sort of welcome speech, don't you? Well, you won't get one from me. Sit down please," she plainly stated. Well, this was going well. I tried to ignore the stares from the other kids as I made my way to the only available seat in the back of the room. As I sat down, I took note of the sleeping boy in the desk in front of me. After a few moments of thought, I decided it was best to wake him up. My finger barely touched his back before he jolted awake.

"PRESENT!" he shouted.

The class began snickering and a few turned to gawk. The boy just looked around, obviously not sure exactly what had happened.

"Mr. Ortega, what exactly compelled you to interrupt my class? We took role fifteen minutes ago," said Mrs. P, or whatever her name was.

"Oh um, sorry, won't happen again," said the boy, a little embarrassment lingering in his voice.

Once the class had calmed down the teacher returned to the lecture. "In 477 BC, the city of Athens formed the Delian League to defend the city from Persian invaders…"

I already knew my Greek history pretty well so I began to lose focus. Suddenly a shrill whisper invaded my ears.

"Thanks a lot new kid. I was totally fine just sleeping, but _no_. You _had_ to wake me up!"

It was the boy in front of me. I was a little taken back that he hadn't fallen off to sleep again after his little, ah, shall we say, outburst. He looked pretty tired. His black hair was sticking up all over the place and I could see bags under his warm, chocolate-brown eyes. I realized he was staring at me, probably waiting for an apology.

"Um, sorry, I didn't really think you would shout or anything if I tapped your shoulder. Uh, I'm Theo, what's your name?"

"Chris. Chris Ortega. Now do you mind? I really need to catch up on my sleep."

Oh. This was the half-blood we were looking for? Of course the Fates would have me sit behind him. Maybe I was tired or maybe his looks were distracting me (wait, what?) because I obviously didn't think out my response.

"Oh you're Chris? We've been looking for you!" His eyes widened and he seemed to slide back into his desk a little more.

"Um, I'm going to pretend you never said that and go back to sleep. See you around, Theo." And with that, he plopped his head back onto his desk and closed his eyes. I felt like burying my head in my arms too. God, that was embarrassing. I tried to listen to the lecture and take my mind off of the ordeal.

Soon after the bell rang, Trent and I went to our next class which was English. Thankfully, nothing too strange or embarrassing happened. But of course, I had to sit behind Chris again, and again in Geometry, and again in the next class and again in the next class. The only class I didn't sit behind him in was chemistry with Mr. Spolcyc. I would have, but Mr. Spolcyc had me switch with another student. I'm guessing he knew about me being a half-blood and was suspicious of Chris. Chances are he wanted to keep the two of us apart just to be safe. Pretty smart for a monster. I spent most of the class brainstorming. How was I going to get Chris out of here? Mr. Spolcyc seemed pretty determined to keep me from doing that. What kind of monster was Spolcyc anyway? He must be a slightly stronger one, seeing as he could disguise himself as a human (barely, he was pretty ugly looking). I had a hard time looking into his eyes; maybe it was his not-so-good looks. Ok, I really had to stop calling him ugly. The bell rang signifying the end of the school day. As I was collecting my things, Trent came up to me.

"So how was your first day?"

"I hope you don't think I plan on spending too much time here," I said rolling my eyes.

"Well, no. But we need time to figure out what we're going to do."

"Why not just grab him while we're out of school? Like, I don't know, at his house?"

"Well, it _would_ help if we knew where he lived."

"I don't need your sass, goat-boy."

"Hey! Quiet down! I don't need anyone to hear you say that I'm a—"

"Did you just call him goat-boy?" said an all too familiar voice. Damn my wittiness. Chris was now approaching us.

"Uh, yeah… it's an old nickname," I said, hoping he wouldn't push the matter.

"Never heard anyone call someone that before. Is there a reason why you call him that?" Of course he would push it.

"Nope, just an inside joke. So uh, where are you headed? We were thinking of getting something to eat, maybe you could come with us?" asked Trent.

"Uh, Trent are you sure about that?" I asked. Sure Chris seemed nice enough, and we could possibly get him to Camp Half-Blood this way, but I couldn't help feel awkward around Chris. I couldn't tell why, I just did.

"It's no problem. I'm not doing anything, how about—"

"You! Ortega! Get over here; I need someone to help clean these test tubes."

Of course our favorite teacher, Mr. Spolcyc, had other plans.

"Uh, I guess I'll catch you guys later. Maybe I can convince him to give me some extra credit. I know I definitely need it," Chris said sheepishly. As he headed over to the lab bench where the dirty test tubes were, I decided it probably wasn't the best idea to leave Chris alone with Mr. Spolcyc.

"Hey Chris, wait. I'll help you. Two minds are better than one, my mom always says. Trent you go on ahead, I'll meet you back at your place." Trent gave me a strange look but just nodded before heading out the door.

"Uh, thanks Theo, but I don't think washing dishes takes much brain power."

"Well if it didn't, Spolcyc would just do it himself," I said, to Chris' laughter.

"Watch your tongue, owl-child! You know not who you speak to!" boomed Mr. Spolcyc. Oh, so he did know.

"Uh, sorry…," I said quickly before grabbing a test tube and a paper towel.

"What's his problem? And what does he mean by 'owl-child'?" asked Chris.

"Uh, probably nothing. So how about this weather, huh?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Um, it's nice I guess, nothing special," he said while rinsing the soap off of one of the test tubes. "It'll get better in a few months I guess. Personally I like summer best. My mom and I like to go to the beach. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, it's no problem. You should hear me when people ask for my help on stuff. So uh, you mentioned your mom. What about your dad?" I asked, hoping to get some clues about his godly parent. Chris just rolled his eyes before staring down at the running water from the faucet.

"I never really met my dad. He left when I was still a baby. Or at least that's what my mom says. I guess he was an engineer or something. My mom met him at college. She says he was impressed by her skills in mechanics. Guess he wasn't that impressed… since he ended up leaving."

I looked at Chris intently as he told me some more about his life. I was too engrossed in his story to notice Mr. Spolcyc come up from behind us.

"So yeah, what about you," he asked, "What's the story with your family?"

Oh crap. "Um, well my dad is a college professor. He teaches Classical Greek History. My mom was one of his students. Yeah I know that sounds weird but they were roughly the same age, so hush. She came up to him after class and corrected him about the Battle of Thermopylae. After a while they started dating. Sometime after that I was born. She had to leave so I was raised by my dad and stepmom."

"Have you ever been able to meet your mom? Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to meet my dad."

"Yeah I've met her, a few times actually at a retreat at Camp Half…uh at camp. She's cool."

"Oh, that's nice," Chris said quietly. A few seconds of awkwardness ensued. That silence was broken by a booming voice.

"I'm tired of waiting! I know you know who I am, child of Athena! I know why you're here. I wanted to kill the Satyr as well but he's gone now. I guess there's always tomorrow. You two should quiet my hunger for now."

I turned and Mr. Spolcyc was now behind us. Instead of his usual polo shirt and khakis, he was now in nothing but a loin cloth. If that wasn't bad enough, I looked up to meet his gaze and greeting me was one, big round eye in the center of his forehead. He looked like he had grown four more feet and he was now sporting some wicked looking fangs. How could I be so stupid? Spolcyc, reverse that and you get Cyclops. I reached for my sword/pencil but realized it was in my backpack at my desk. I turned to Chris who was obviously terrified. He uttered a small whimper. That caught Mr. Spolcyc's attention.

"And _you_! I've been hunting your scent for months! The smell is so tantalizing. I will feast on demigod flesh tonight!"

"Now, now, Mr. Cyclops, let's not be hasty," I said, grabbing Chris' hand as we slowly backed up towards my desk. "We're not even seasoned properly!" Just a little closer, comon', we're almost there.

"Ah, you are right, I forgot how smart you owl-spawn are. I know I have some spices somewhere. Don't move."

"Right, of course not, where would I even go anyways?" I was now at my desk. I unzipped my backpack and quickly found my weapons. Now all I had to do was speak the command word and they would transform.

"Uh, Theo? No offense, but are you planning on writing him to death?" asked Chris. Oh good, he can still talk.

"No stupid, hang on. _Inoixa!" _I spoke the command 'open' in Ancient Greek. Suddenly, I had a sword and shield in my hands.

"Aha! Found it! Now, where is my dinner? Hey! Put those away!" the Cyclops said upon his return. His weapon, a container of Cajun blackening seasoning; my weapon, a battle ready, deadly-sharp celestial bronze sword. I lunged forward, ready to slash the monster to pieces, but instead I was pummeled to the floor by his fists.

"Ha! I will not go down without a fight! No demigod has bested me in millennia!"

"Can someone please explain to me what a demigod is!" shouted Chris. Ah, damn, I forgot about him.

"Chris, get out of here! Try and find Trenton!"

"Oh no you don't! I won't let you escape that easy prey!" The beast clapped his hands and the doors flung shut, sealing us in. Chris tugged desperately on the door.

"It won't budge!"

I was now up on my feet again. I charged. I bashed with my shield, and managed to land a blow in the Cyclops's face. I heard the satisfying crunch of his nose breaking. That small victory was short lived as I was thrown, once again, across the room. The beast howled and clutched his eye.

"Foolish half-blood, I will enjoy feasting on your skin!" Well, at least I know I hurt him.

As I got up, I prayed to any gods that were rooting for me for a little help. My prayers were answered in the form of a screaming Hispanic half-blood.

Before I could even process the scene fully, Chris was throwing a beaker of what I presume was acid into Mr. Spolcyc's eye, causing him to drop to his knees and clutch his face in pain.

"Get your ass over here and stab him, Theo!" he yelled at me. Mr. Spolcyc whimpered, before muttering through clenched teeth.

"Do it. Kill me then." A bit morbid, but I was happy to oblige. My blade connected with his neck and the monster crumbled into a fine, powdery dust, as most monsters do when they are killed.

"Rot in Tartarus."


End file.
